Desire
by Alexandra June
Summary: Adrien is a young adult and his lust for Ladybug has made him disinterested in other girls. But he knows his fantasies with Ladybug is going to be just that- a fantasy. He begins to focus on a real relationship but it's tough to hold in lust like that for long. This is a story of a 20 year old boy with a wild side. WARNING: Things will get steamy.
1. Freedom

It was the weekend and there were many people simply walking around the city to enjoy the lovely day. It was nice and breezy and after taking a deep breath, he walked out of his room towards the main hall. His father, Gabriel Agreste the popular fashion designer was leaving with his secretary, Natalie for a whole week in New York. Work was very important to his father, more important than his son, if he might say so himself. This was a particularly important business meeting and he knew he'd have the whole house to himself for a week.

"Sir, everything is ready. I shall wait ahead in the car." Natalie waited for a nod before walking out.

"Ah Adrien, Your schedule has been cleared till we return. If it get's delayed further I will send Natalie back here so you can continue with that. You're 20 now so I think you should be able to live on your own and manage your public image the way you have been trained to." He paused and then sighed before leaving, "Do not disappoint me, Adrien. I would not be pleased to have to cut my trip short. You can call Natalie if anything is needed. Don't let me regret allowing you this freedom."

Adrien's frown went unnoticed as usual. "Yes father." This 'freedom' he spoke of was something Adrien had to plead with Natalie for. How she managed to convince his strict father was beyond him. He was glad to have her as a mediator and tried to stay on her good side as far as possible. He pulled out his phone and clicked on his best friend's contact.

"Sup bro"

"Yo Nino! What are your plans for today?"

"Ah well, I've actually got some reports to work on for this other course. And then there's a party at night. What about you?"

"Oh.. well, I've got the house all to myself this week and I was thinking we could hang out."

"For real? Awesome! Today is a bit tough, but hey, come by for the party. I'll text you the details."

"Yeah sure. See you there then."

He ate his lunch and then brought back a piece of cheese to his room for the black kwami Plagg. It had been a really long time since anything had happened but even Ladybug agreed they couldn't assume Hawkmoth had given up too easily. They still had patrols which were slowly decreasing in frequency. Now the superheroes of Paris were seen only once a week. There were still three more days till he could meet her again.

He admired her. Everyone did. Why wouldn't they? She was brave, strong and clever. She always tried to help from the goodness of her heart. And god, was she beautiful. Her body had bloomed wonderfully giving her all the right curves in all the right places and she was so lean and flexible. She had appeared in so many fantasies of his using that flexibility to her advantage (well, you wouldn't find him complaining). The first time he really felt he wanted to do intimate things with her, he realized that his lust for her was so great, he couldn't care less about the other girls in that way. Besides those that just wanted to be friends, no other girls ever managed to get close to him.

Plagg teased him so many times for pining after Ladybug and not being interesting in girls otherwise. Somehow he managed to keep himself in check while he was Chat Noir to present himself to her in the best light. He still flirted with her and she always had such witty responses when she cared to answer. He felt himself growing hard and looked around. Plagg had already gone off into his own corner. He pulled the curtains and took off his clothes before lying down on his bed. He started rubbing the stiffness, thinking of the flexible woman of his dreams and imagining her giving him her everything for his own pleasure. Oh, the things he would love to do to her to hear her moan and blush. In a few minutes he had already unloaded himself and he got dressed after cleaning up and taking a shower.

He picked up a book and read a few more chapters. He played a few video games for a while and even studied his college textbooks trying to keep himself occupied until it was time for the party. Finally he put on a light green shirt and long black pants and cross checked his messages for the address before driving off. Plagg chose to stay in the car like he did for all parties. Adrien walked in slowly but he didn't have to worry. Everybody seemed too distracted in their own conversations to notice him.

He saw Nino wave and make his way over from the dance floor. "Hey, nice to see you could make it. DJ's a friend of mine so he had invited me earlier. Alya said she'll meet me here with another friend of hers. Haven't seen her yet."

Adrien nudged his friend, "She's your girlfriend. You don't have to worry. She won't bring another date."

"She's bringing you a date, dude."

"What? How does she know I don't have one already?"

"Do you?"

"Well...umm, no but"

"Ah, there she is. Alya! Here!" Adrien turned around to follow his friend who quickly wrapped his girlfriend in a hug. He looked at the girl beside her in the long blue dress that made her eyes stand out. Her black hair was left open sliding down her shoulders and a little black purse hanging on her side. She smiled at him gently, "Adrien."

It had been a while since he saw her. He hadn't seen this sort of smile in ages and he found it slightly sexy compared to the awkward way she used to smile at him in school. She stood tall and beautiful with her heels giving her just the right height to look him straight in the eyes. He smiled back, glad to be surrounded with his friends, "Marinette, you look wonderful."

"Yep, Mari's our stylist tonight. Never would I have imagined a long shawl can be worn like this. Ah, I feel so hot in this." Alya leaned over Nino pushing her chest onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck before whispering into his ears. Adrien looked at her attire more carefully. At first he thought it was a one piece dress but focusing on the way the shawl wrapped around her torso and tied into a knot behind her neck, he figured the rest was a knee length black skirt and a black camisole or something basic. The shawl had some sort of a print on it and was part brown and part golden yellow and the shades were mixed up instead of forming a gradient.

He noticed Nino's blush coloring his cheeks in response to whatever his girlfriend had just whispered in his ear as he fanned himself, "Boy, is it hot in here or what? Shall we head to the bar and get a few drinks?" He took her hand and led her leaving the other two to follow at their own pace. Adrien looked at the stylist and the conversation naturally started, smoother than he ever remembered a conversation with the shy and hyperactive girl in school to be like.

"So, it's been a while. What have you been upto?"

"Well, I'm studying at the France National University of Arts to be a fashion designer."

"Oh! It's pretty amazing you got in. But yeah, I remember you have quite the talent in that field."

"Yeah, there are so many people that come from other countries too. Nathaniel is the only person I knew when I got there."

"Nathaniel's there too?"

"Yeah, he's interested in illustrations and stuff but hasn't decided exactly what he wants to do. He's taken a lot of the same courses I have. You should have seen him in the material sculpting one." She giggled and shook her head pulling out her phone from her purse. He waited amused at the silly smile she had while she showed him her image gallery.

There were a few images of clothing items, drawings, sketches, fabric rolls, plenty more of girls and guys that looked like her friends showing off their clothes and Marinette in her own creations where you could actually see the pride beaming from her face when she spoke of it. He couldn't hide how impressed he was. She was very young and she already had created a variety of clothes that looked flattering, chic and comfortable. Alya and Nino left them after two rounds to start dancing but Marinette was hardly sipping her whiskey.

Adrien looked at her again, slightly impatient this time, "Is whiskey not your drink?"

"Huh? Oh this, well.. I actually get drunk too easily so I.."

"Really? I think you should have chosen something other than whiskey then. Well, you don't have to drink much. We could keep dancing?"

She blushed at that. It was way too noticeable and he found it difficult to look away. She nodded and tucked a stray strand of her hair back in place before looking him back straight in the eye and that's when he was suddenly aware of how long he had been staring at her. He picked up his glass and downed the rest of his drink, "Alright, come on."

She did the same and took his hand. He gave her hand a faint squeeze when he noticed her wince as the alcohol burned her throat. He chuckled and led her to a relatively less crowded section of the dance floor and slowly put his hands on her waist after which she set hers on his chest. He felt a wave of emotion rush through him and he decided it was due to the sudden proximity with someone of the opposite sex after a long time of being indifferent to their presence.

She looked so fragile as he held her but so strong at the same time. Her hands were timid and her eyes bashful but her steps were steady and bold. His hands felt ready to slide around her smooth waist and he wanted to pull her closer and touch her hair. She spoke hesitantly, "Five years ago I would have fainted at this opportunity.. I had a little bit of a crush on you back then."

".. Really?"

"Yeah well, you were really sweet and cute."

"Hey! Now I'm offended", he said pouting.

She laughed, "Well, you still are..very likeable."

He smirked, the sound of her laughter was too thrilling. "Likeable? I must have tuned down my attractiveness tonight so I won't have the ladies falling for me."

"That's not true. I'm sure there are ladies that find you hot, like those at 7 o'clock." He turned back to look at the two blonde ladies she had indicated. He turned back to his friend not giving them more than a glance, "And what about this lovely lady who finds me only likeable?"

He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. Her blue eyes met his and they were slowly pulling him in. He lifted one hand to caress her cheek and let his thumb touch her lips. She suddenly pulled away, "I.. I have a boyfriend."


	2. Le chat

**A/N: Hi, Alexandra here. I added a bit to the previous chapter. Please go check that too. Appreciate the views and follows and reviews are always a pleasure. Nice to know what others are thinking.**

Her words were sharp and instantly snapped him out of it, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything. I was just enjoying spending time with you. Sorry for making you uncomfortable." He apologetically lifted his hands in front of him.  
She shook her head, "Yeah, I understand. It's alright. I want another drink. I'm going to get back to the bar."  
"I'll join you."

They walked back to the bar and got martinis. He raised his eyebrow at her when she got her second one. Nino and Alya came back and called for vodka. Marinette spoke first, "Alya, I think I'm ready to call it a night."  
"Aww come on girl, it's not too late. It's just 10. Why don't you wait a bit? I can drop you off."  
"Nah, you guys should go have fun. I'll get a cab for myself."  
Alya winked at her, "We're going to have our fun at my apartment anyways. I just want to go dancing a bit more. Wanna dance with me?"  
"I'll pass. I'm actually sleepy from all the travel."  
Adrien suggested, "I could drop you. I was going to leave soon anyways to get a bite to eat."  
Marinette agreed, "Yes, that would be nice. I could get you something from the bakery too."  
"Ah, how I missed those. I've been on this diet for years, I'm so glad I finally have a break."  
Alya waved as they walked out, "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then, Mari."  
"Sure thing."

She walked with him till the car and he opened the door for her even with her insisting it wasn't necessary. He did have his doubts whether she was leaving early because of that awkward situation they had before, but the conversation was calm till he reached the bakery and he dismissed those doubts.

"Come on in. I'll see what I can get for you." He followed her inside to the dining table where she had set a plate with a strawberry tart and a croissant. She sat with him nibbling on some chocolate while he savored every last bite. She chuckled and he smiled back, "What's so funny?"  
"You look really cute eating. Like a cat really."

He froze for a second. It's not enough evidence for her to figure out his other identity. Surely, it's not that close to a cat. Maybe cat was just the first animal she could think of. And then he noticed she had called him cute again. His shoulder fell a bit with the disappointment that she was playing with him again. Again, he would feel like they were really close and wish their relationship was something less platonic. Well, he couldn't just blame her. Why was he reacting like this everytime she said 'cute'? He was 20 for heaven's sake, cute is not supposed to be a turn-on for him considering how often girls used it.

They spoke of their best friends and school and finally when a yawn escaped her, Adrien decided he had kept her up long enough. She waited for him to drive away before walking back in. Adrien however was slightly unsatisfied on the way back home. He tried to remember all his previous interactions with Marinette to see if the mixed signals she was giving was something recent. Back then, she just found it difficult to talk to him normally and he thought she was being alert and wary of him, as if she was unsure of opening up to him. But there were many times where she initiated the conversation, so he knew she atleast thought of him as a good friend. She had definitely changed and seemed more at ease with herself around him. Maybe that's all there is to it. He just wasn't used to her being like this. God, he was so embarassed. She must have thought I was hitting on her. And she had a boyfriend too. God, what was he even trying to do. The scene played in his mind again, this time focusing much less on how beautiful she looked and more on how lame he was being. He whined and pushed his head back against the car seat. He could use a little fresh air to clear his mind. He parked the car on reaching home and waited till he was safely inside with Plagg to transform himself into his superhero counterpart.

* * *

Chat Noir roamed around the city jumping from rooftop to rooftop trying to relax with the cool night wind and the few lights. He sat down and closed his eyes but he heard her before she landed next to him. His lady in red was standing there right in front of him, tall and beautiful, against the dark starry background. Her hair in the same two ponytails that made her look much more lively, had curled towards the ends

"Milady, to what do I owe the delight of having you here?"  
"I spotted you and thought it was rather unusual for you to be out tonight. Patrol is still 3 days later."  
"I'm touched milady, that the purrpose of your being here was to check on me."  
"Chat, I thought it was something serious." He saw her eyes shift to look around and then settle back on him. Ah right, they had no way of sensing the presence of an akuma and usually just responded to screams or news reports. Ineffective but it was the best they could manage.

"No no, nothing of the sort. I didn't mean to worry you bugaboo. I just couldn't sleep." He had often called her with all sorts of names out of love and she had just ignored them and dismissed his advances. But seeing her before him with his own eyes, she was way too beautiful for him to accept it and move on. Only time apart would help him but he already pushed that aside. He knew he had to be there for her as Chat Noir, as her crime-fighting partner. They worked well together and trusted each other with their lives already. There was no way he could risk the relationship they already had for the chance of being more intimate with her.

"Oh", she said and looked around before sitting down beside him, "Anything you want to talk about?"

He looked at her and lost himself for a bit. Her eyes were so calm and inviting. "Hm? not really. Just had a sudden change of pace." He almost tumbled off the roof when he felt her hands brushing his hair. Her fingers were so thin and her touch so light, it was almost a dream. He closed his eyes for a while just focusing on the way she moved her hands around his hair. When he opened them again to look at her, she was smiling from ear to ear, "Awww, you were purring"

He blushed, "No, I wasn't"  
"Yes, you were"  
"No, I wasn't"  
"Oh come on chaton, we aren't kids to do this all day. Besides, it was cute." His mind was spinning and words were echoing inside saying 'she said chaton' and 'she called me cute'. He looked at her gentle smile and he just wanted to kiss those lips so much. His blush had faded and he smiled at her with love beaming through his eyes. She smiled back and got up, "Good night Chat."

He watched her leave, swinging with her yoyo, her graceful figure smoothly cutting through the air. He waited a while, but he felt so full of energy, he figured he might as well leave too. He felt loopy with happiness. He jumped between the rooftops on his way back, spinning and laughing. He was finally getting somewhere with her. She was starting to show her affection for him. It wasn't a lost cause. He could take things slow with her until she felt comfortable and it wouldn't adversely affect their teamwork. God, he was so happy, he could sing and dance.

And then he noticed her out on the balcony, looking at him. "Oh", she said, clearly surprised and then she started giggling. "Aren't you a happy little cat?" He stopped on the opposite rooftop, leaning on his staff. "And what's bothering you, princess?", he teased her. Marinette was wearing light pink pajamas with black outlined crowns. Her hair was in a single loose braid and it looked like she was just about to go to sleep. Except for the fact that she was standing out in her balcony instead.

"Nothing. I'm in a good mood. Just stepped out to enjoy the night."  
"I would offer a penny for your thoughts but all I have now is my company. We could have a little chat", he said wiggling his eyebrows waiting for her to respond to yet another one of his puns.  
"..I'm surprised I haven't heard that one yet."  
"I'm full of surprises, princess. Care to take a look?" He leaped over to her side of the roof and sat on the edge of the balcony still keeping a distance from her so she would be comfortable. Why he was entertaining an ordinary civilian had apparently crossed her mind too and she asked, "Why are you taking so much time for me? Aren't you busy being a superhero and stuff?"

"Oh contrare, mon chere. I've got enough time to spare for a friend", he said, winking at her.  
"I'll get offended if my 'friend' doesn't know my name."  
"Who needs names when I'm talking to my princess? I shall call her only as she wishes to be called." He refrained from saying 'but I already know your name, Marinette'. You had to always be careful when talking to familiar people and realizing that it truly is a small small world made it just that much more difficult.  
She smiled that familiar smile and walked towards him,"Princess is alright then"

He tensed up a little. She didn't want to tell him her name. He agreed with that however. Being a superhero that protects Paris was no reason for her to feel safe around him and start getting chatty with. He shouldn't be talking with so much freedom with a 20 year old woman on her own balcony in the middle of the night. What if he gets too comfortable and slips up and she realizes who he is?

"You should probably get some sleep. Your boyfriend might get mad if he knows you were up late talking to another man."  
"Already assuming things about me?"  
"Nothing wrong with that reasoning. I would get mad if someone other than me spoke to my girl late at night."  
"True, nothing wrong with that, except that I don't have a boyfriend. You have a girl?"

The surprise was evident when he heard her claim something so different from what she had just two hours before. "How can a pretty lass like you not have a boyfriend yet?" He just hoped his face showed natural curiosity instad of the confusion and hurt he felt. Why would she tell Adrien she had a boyfriend and Chat Noir that she didn't? What was the truth? Maybe she does not trust Chat enough so didn't want to give out too many details. Yes, he's probably just overthinking things.

She looked back towards her room, "Well, I'm not so sure about my feelings anyway. I used to have a crush on someone but then we lost touch and now I'm not sure about anything. People seem completely different when you haven't seen them for a while."

He nodded, "Well yes, but you'll figure your feelings out once you get to know them again right?" He tried to respond as generic as possible since he still had some doubts.

"Yeah, I'm not too worried about that anyways. What about you, Chat? You have a sweetheart?"  
"Is my princess jealous?". He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. A single beep from his ring interrupted their conversation. "Looks like I better get going. Good night, princess. I'll come by some other time."  
She smiled, "Good night, Chat". He opened his staff and pounced over the rooftops again, his tail waving in the air behind him. She went back in and closed the balcony door once the faint ringing of his bell died out.


	3. See you tomorrow

He was cautious and made sure he wasn't seen entering his house. Even though he didn't have to worry about Natalie or his father catching Chat sneaking in, he still had his identity to protect. His heart was elated like a girl who just received a smile from her crush. He glided through the halls gracefully, spinning and dancing and thinking of his lovely Ladybug. It would have been quite an interesting spectacle if anyone could have seen him. Transforming back into his civilian form midway, he didn't let the open persona he had behind the mask fade. He could easily constrain himself; that had become a habit. But he couldn't care less about it. There was a peace in the emptiness of the mansion, a comfort that he had long desired.

A few years back, he would have dreaded to stay at the mansion, even if it was free of the evils that had imprisoned him there. The evils referring to none other than his own father. But with time, he realized that the evil presence had little effect on him. He no longer felt suffocated by his father's stern voice. He no longer was resentful about his past. It looked like Chat Noir deserved more credit than he got in that case.

The first time Adrien had seen the ring, he was so excited with the idea of a secret friend that came with it. One that would always be right beside him for as long as he wore it. One that no one could keep him away from. His friend, although the lazy unenthusiastic glutton who hardly seemed to care, was a welcome change. The others in his life probably only needed him for their own ulterior motives. Plagg with his unconcerned attitude was easier to trust.

Said kwami flew behind him rolling his eyes as Adrien plopped on his bed and sighed. Adrien heard Plagg muttering, "Miraculous! how did I end up giving my ring to this princess?" Princess. His thoughts immediately shifted to her and the conversation he had with her. Marinette. That girl had confused him so much.

*Bzzt Bzzt* He picked his phone from his table.

Marinette: Are you free tomorrow?

His brows furrowed. Speak of the devil.. But Marinette was no devil.  
Adrien: Well yeah, why?  
Marinette is typing...

"Oh, she's online", he said as he waited.  
Marinette: I wanted to talk to you.  
Adrien: Why? Is something wrong?  
Marinette is typing...

"Maybe she wants to tell me that she lied about the boyfriend thing?", he wondered.  
Marinette: Haha, no. I had a nice time tonight talking about school and stuff. I wanted to say more but..  
Adrien: Hey, your head was already bobbing in your sleep.  
Marinette: No, it wasn't!  
Marinette: I wasn't even that sleepy, okay?  
Marinette: I just yawned. Give the girl a break.  
Marinette sent a sticker

The flurry of messages amused him and he chuckled when he saw the sticker of a black kitten pouting. Adrien: Hahaha, calm down. I am free tomorrow anyways. I'd love to meet up and talk. Marinette: That's great! Hey, why don't you come to the bakery for lunch? My parents haven't seen you in a while either.  
Adrien: *wink emoji* Don't you think it's too early to meet the parents?  
Marinette: Oh come on! You know that's not what I meant!  
Adrien: Only teasing prin

Adrien caught himself before he typed out Princess. That might have been too much of a giveaway. He had to hold himself from flirting the same way Chat Noir did, which was definitely difficult considering he was the same person.

Adrien: Haha, just a joke. I know you said you have a boyfriend already.  
Marinette is typing.

It took her quite a while and Adrien left to brush his teeth and take his clothes off. He preferred to sleep in just his boxers. It was easier for him to handle his erection when it got excited. *Bzzt Bzzt* He returned to find a message waiting for him as he settled in his bed.

Marinette: Well, that's another thing but yeah, just two old friends catching up. You don't have to worry about my parents. Adrien: Cool. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night.  
Marinette: Yeah, good night Adrien.

He didn't realize he would fall asleep so soon, especially with all the excitement, but it must have tired him out.

He woke up at 9 and slowly dragged himself to the washroom, rubbing his eyes and deciding no point in adjusting his boxers if he was going to pee anyways. He slid it off and continued the rest of the distance stumbling around naked and no reason to be ashamed. It was a valid argument. First, there was no one else at home but Plagg who stayed asleep for as long as humanly possible. Well, not like he's human but whatever the case, he got up late unless he felt hungry or they had to go somewhere. Second, there was nothing to be ashamed about with the body he had and looking at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, he was very aware of it.

He was rather tall and although not skinny with the diet, he had a healthy and fit figure from all the exercise he had. He played with his body, patting his stomach and poking his butt. His dick rose up and he held it carefully. He rinsed his mouth and then started flicked it with his finger and bending it sideways with a light squeeze. It took a few more strokes for it to retreat and fit snugly into his boxers.

He looked at his wardrobe. The collection was varied with a common simplicity and elegance. He choose a casual look with a white polo shirt and light brown shorts. He scrambled a few eggs and toasted his bread for breakfast while reading the local newspaper. He still had a good one and a half hours before going over to meet Marinette. He looked at his bookshelf finally picking one, a work of fiction based on the French revolution, and lay out on the couch. In a matter of a few chapters where he had just started getting the hang of the protagonist's daily life, he could tell he was getting rather engrossed into it. He appreciated how it slowly introduced new characters by only showing the few more relevant people like those she valued the most instead of pushing everyone she has ever met in the first few chapters. It wasn't just a list of names that he could hope to recollect as the story progresses. He replaced the book on the shelf and set off to buy a few flowers to thank his hosts.

Their eyes met through the bakery's windows. She was cheerfully talking to a few customers and she gently smiled and waved at him. He smiled back nodding at the two older women that turned around. They returned the smiles and carried on happily chatting away. He walked in and looked around as her parents walked to him. Tom put his hand on his shoulder and winked at him, "Is this the same Adrien from school? The one who's pictures Mari used to put up in her room?"  
She flitted over on hearing her name, quietly excusing herself from the conversation she was in and playfully glared at her dad, "Daaaad! That was long back. You don't have to bring it up now."  
Tom smiled as he noticed the two look at each other and then much more quickly look away at everything else, anything else to keep from embarrassing themselves. He dropped his hand to put it on his wife's back as she gladly accepted the flowers. "Couldn't let that moment slip. Embarrassing your kids is the best part of being a dad."  
Sabine nudged him, "Now now, Tom. We don't want to scare away her old friends when they show up after so long. Why didn't you come visit more often, Adrien? You're more than welcome. Didn't you get accepted at a college nearby?"  
"Yes Maam, I'm doing a course on business and management at St. Pierre Claude. It's pretty tedious, so I find myself taking more quick vacations to more distant places than short breaks around town."  
"Oh! Well that's lovely. Thanks for the flowers too. Marinette, could you take him upstairs to the living room and set them in a vase or something. We'll wrap things up and head on over for lunch." Sabine passed the bouquet to her daughter and followed her husband.

Marinette gestured for Adrien to follow her and went upstairs to the living room. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go put these flowers in place." He nodded but continued to follow her queitly, sitting down at the table when she set the vase on it. She smiled and sat at the chair next to his, "Didn't expect you to get flowers for us."  
"Were you hoping for something worth more?", he smirked teasingly.  
"I don't consider the price as an important part of the gift if it's affordable without you know..sending you into debt or something."  
"Are you saying, those who can afford to spend more on them should buy gifts without caring about the price?" "Not at all. It's the thought that matters more than the price. If you can, that is. I know there would be lots of people whose primary concern is cost and don't have much to spare anyways.", she went on.  
Adrien interrupted with a chuckle, "That's such a rich girl thing to say. Reminds me of Chloe." Her cheeks puffed up a little as she began to refute. Financial conditions and money matters were sensitive topics for a lot of people in general. Adrien himself normally avoided conversations like those, but he was at ease talking to Marinette about them. Her tone was light and pleasing and her words were hardly anything meant to incite a heated discussion, more like a friend who was worried for you sharing her opinion about things. The sniff of fresh bread and butter turned his head towards Sabine and Tom bringing in plates and lunch.

Adrien had been to other people's homes like Chloe's and Nino's and had eaten few meals with their families too but something about Mari's family soured his spirits with a bittersweet flavor. Her parents were cheerful and caring while looking after him eating. When someone was thirsty they would refill everyone's glasses too. He was really touched and happy but some heavy feeling was pulling at his heart. He couldn't figure what it was. Everything was normal, perfectly ordinary but why wasn't he feeling the same?

They decided to lounge in the living room for a while before leaving for the arcade. His mind was clearly somewhere else, not noticing he let out a sigh as he sat on the couch or the slight worried frown on Marinette's face while she pondered why he would be so distracted. She picked up her sketchbook and started sketching, softly humming. Adrien stole a glance at her before closing his eyes. He didn't want to make her feel weird. He focused on her voice. It sounded like a lullaby and he felt more relaxed as it went on.

Her voice slowly faded out and he wondered if he was falling asleep or if it actually was so. His eyes opened instantly when he felt something brush against his cheek, to see Marinette leaning over him with her pen unusually close to his face.  
"Hey!", he exclaimed grabbing her wrists and turning around to pin her down on the couch. "What were you upto?"  
She laughed dropping the pen, "Nothing, monsieur. Just half your moustache must have ran away."  
"Moustache? Aren't you a naughty girl?", he smirked and tried to rub it against her face.

He froze when her breath quivered as his lips brushed her skin. Slowly he trailed them lower to her jaw and neck and he felt her chest expand a little pressing against him. He parted his lips slowly sucking on her neck and kissing it and her body wriggled under his, her hands slightly pushing him back.  
"Ah..ah..Adrien"  
His dick stood up on hearing his name come through her lips. And unfortunately for it, he quickly backed out away from her. What was he doing to her? What would she think of him? What would she say now? What should HE say?  
Her eyes looked expressionless as she directly peered into his, "I'm sorry about that. If you want to wash it off, the washroom is that way."  
"No, I'm sorry. Yes, I will." He calmly walked to the washroom and locked the door. His dick was quite uncomfortable and stiff and truthfully he felt the same. She was a friend. What just happened? Well, atleast he could open up his pants for a bit and fix the problem there. He pulled out the peeking culprit and pumped it with his hands. This wasn't something he should do in another person's house but he didn't want something crazy like that to happen again soon. Who even knows if she would still want to go to the arcade with him? If she'd want to see him after this ever again? He wondered what she must be doing right now and juice squirted out, directly into the toilet, lucky for him. He washed his face a few times and then stepped out, feeling a little better than he was earlier. He could only hope she felt the same. It wasn't really that big a deal right? It was only a kiss on her neck, not like she was cheating on her boyfriend, if she even did have one.

She stood from the couch when he reached with an almost plastic smile pasted on her face, "Ready to leave?" Was she kicking him out? "Can we go somewhere else instead of the arcade though?" Oh.  
Oh? "Yeah sure, wherever you'd like."  
"Let's just go for a walk", she said walking down the stairs to the front door.  
"Ok", he answered as the door shut behind him.

 **Hello again, As a special fan service for those of you who are reading this now while I'm working on the first few chapters, I will make this more interactive. If you will review or PM with whatever you wish to see (just a few words please like 'pillow fight') I will make a special scene in a new chapter that uses that idea. See you soon with the next chapter :D**

 **-Alexandra June**


	4. Something's stirring

He quietly matched his steps to walk beside her. He looked at her smiling at people passing by like she was still inside the restaraunt. It was only when he noticed she seemed to be in a happy mood that he realized his own lips were curled into a smile too. Maybe it's a natural response to smile back unconsciously when people smile at you.

She stopped for a moment at the first intersection, looking around as if deciding which was a better path. Then she turned towards him still looking forward, "That day, seeing you at the party was nice. I thought it might be awkward since I haven't been in touch with most of our classmates in school, but you still treated me kindly like a friend."  
"Of course I would. Even back then, you were sweet and kind to everyone. Who wouldn't think of you as their friend?"  
"Haha, I'm glad you think that way." She touched her hair tidying it up and continued walking.

Within a few minutes they made it back to the bakery. He felt a sudden pang of loneliness thinking of going back home alone. Nino said he would come over with a few of his stuff tomorrow and finish off most of his work before then so he could be free the next few days. But Nino would also quickly get bored of staying indoors and want to go out again, maybe to see his girlfriend occasionally.  
"Actually, I have the house all to myself this week. I invited Nino to come over so I could have some company, but I was wondering if you and Alya would want to come hang out too?"  
"Oh, I don't know."  
"I mean, it's alright if you have other things to do. I thought it would be a nice surprise for Nino."  
"Really? I think you should talk to Alya"  
"Ah, I'll leave her a message then and maybe if she's interested, she can convince you?"  
She looked at him with a sheepish smile, slightly uncomfortable and unsure how to say no. "I'll think about it?"  
"That's good enough. I'd love if you could make it" He winked with his winning smile and turned back after a quick wave.

Marinette stood frozen a minute before heading inside the bakery. Did he really just wink at her? Well, atleast he didn't put her in the spot for too long, he realized she was starting to feel uncomfortable. Maybe a bit more and she would have agreed just so he could stop pestering her about it. Did he really want her to come?

Adrien walked back slowly. He was near the bridge soon and he sat down for a while, leaning against a lamppost. He pulled out his phone to message Alya.  
Adrien: Hey Alya! Don't tell Nino about this. I have something to ask you. Are you there?

He turned around to look at the river. The water was still and clear and he could see the whole street reflected on its surface. It was peaceful and not very crowded. There were a few couples sitting along the bridge. No, most of the people were couples sitting almost over each other. Well, it does make sense that Paris is considered the city of love, but it is rather awkward to watch.

*Bzzt Bzzt* He looked down at his phone.  
Alya: Hi! What did you need? ;) I can get you any information you need of him for a price :P Adrien: Dude XD hahaha!  
Alya sent a sticker.

The sticker was of a wolf with sunglasses in a bathtub full of money. Alya seemed unusually happy, but she was always excited. Even now as a trainee journalist, he imagined her jumping around like she used to whenever Ladybug was around. He remembered being a regular visitor to her blog Ladyblog and wondering how she managed to be there at almost every situation.

Adrien: Actually, I have some information you could use :P Alya: Oh really? What is it?  
Adrien: Not so fast. The price? Do I get rewarded?  
Alya: XD I'll decide if it's really useful.  
Adrien: Sure. Nino's coming to my place tomorrow. No one's home.  
Alya: XD Haha! You suggesting I come over?  
Adrien: Yeah, as a surprise.  
Alya: Wait, are you seriously into that kind of stuff?  
Adrien: What?  
Alya: "No one's home"  
Adrien: Oh! NOOO! hahaha! I meant just to hang out together so we don't get bored alone.  
Alya: ;) Oh?  
Adrien: You could convince Marinette too and I'll consider that payment for my information.  
Alya: ooooooh, do I sense someone's date last night went well?  
Alya: Mari didn't tell me what happened! :o Alya: I'll call her right now

He rolled his eyes waiting for his phone to stop vibrating with the long flow of incoming messages. Looks like both the girls had that in common.

It was getting darker and he thought of heading back home. He put his hands in his pocket and headed back. He had only reached two blocks away, when he saw her again. She had just stepped out of a clothes store and had a bag in one hand while the other held her phone up to her ear. She hadn't seen him yet. She was just 10 feet away from him but now she began walking away. He jumped forward to catch up to her.

"It's not like that. Nothing happened! I just want us to be friends for now."  
He stopped short of tapping her shoulder and stayed close behind her instead.  
"He's Adrien Agreste, Alya! He could get anyone he wants and there's no reason he would want me."  
Okay, this was not something he should be listening to. He decided to take a longer route back home and walked away.

Finally reaching home, he put the keys on the counter and took off his shoes. *Bzzt Bzzt*  
Alya: Consider yourself paid. ;)  
Alya: See you tomorrow.

He sighed and absentmindedly played with the ring on his finger. "Hey Plagg, you want to go for a little stroll together?" His kwami floated into the roam lazily, "Are you kidding? You just went on one yesterday. I'm not a dog that needs to be walked everyday. I'm a cat! I prefer being pampered with food."

"I just wanted to meet her again."  
"Your princess from yesterday? Pfft, you don't usually try impressing the ladies. What do you see in her?"  
"She's pretty and kind but I wasn't talking about her. There's only one lady I love, but she refuses to be impressed by me."  
"I'm not interested in your love life really. Keep me out of it and I'll be just fine."  
"But Plagg, I can't see her without you. She's ladybug. She's beautiful and strong and I wouldn't have fallen for her if I wasn't Chat Noir."  
"Ugh, every time I get a helpless romantic. Let me warn you now, kid. Love will destroy you. I have seen it happen countless times and the same will happen to you."  
"Chat Noir and Ladybug are partners. We are meant to be."  
"I don't see the point of this stupid conversation. Just make me some food and let me sleep."

Adrien heated up a ready-made creamy and cheesy white pasta. He didn't really have much experience with cooking so he preferred food like this. Earlier, he wouldn't have even considered trying to make his own food and would directly head to a fancy restaurant or cafe. But he soon found it easier to just toast some bread and fry eggs, bacon and chicken nuggets for when he wanted a light snack.

He switched on the TV flipping through the local news and clips of the New York fashion week until he saw his dad about to be interviewed. He quickly changed it to a kid's channel that was running some animated show he hadn't seen before. Unlike Plagg who gobbled up the pasta in a few moments, Adrien ate slowly. He wondered what the age of the target audience for the show was, as he noticed some combat scenes with fire and the looks that the main boy and girl were giving each other.

He watched this for a while. TV was a rare luxury in his schedule generally, so he didn't have any particular favorites. A bit later, as he kept dozing off on the couch, he switched it off and flopped over his bed.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, a little black butterfly lay in its jar, one among the many bugs and beetles lined up in mason jars but the last of its kind. 


	5. Surprise!

**A/N: Hi guys, Alexandra here. Now since it's chapter 5, I'll switch the perspective and follow someone else around for a bit. Maybe I'll do this for every chapter that's a multiple of 5.**  
 **You might have a lot of questions recently. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of them. Other things you'll just have to wait.**  
 **;)**

 **.**

Alya climbed up the stairs to Marinette's room, after greeting her friend's parents. She rolled her eyes at the sleeping beauty with her face buried in her pillow. Putting her bag aside under the table, she walked to the bed and shook her friend's shoulder, "Mari! What are you still doing in bed? Get up!"  
She received a groan in response but no signs of movement. She climbed over her body hugging her waist which brought out more groans from the squished girl. Alya parted a bit of her dark hair to reveal her ear and whispered, "Mariii".  
"Nnn, it tickles"  
"Tickle? Ok." She moved her hands lightly over the body trapped under hers. Marinette rolled over quickly, pushing Alya out and clutching her sides, "Hey! Cut it out! I slept late last night working on a design. Let me sleep."  
"Why are you working on designs even when you're home on vacations?"  
Marinette mumbled, "I couldn't sleep"  
Alya sighed, "Fine, only fifteen minutes."  
Marinette rolled over to her side and tried to go back to sleep. Alya lay down next to her and took out her phone. Tikki was hiding in her cupboard next to Marinette's red handbag.

Alya fiddled around with her apps entertaining herself while the girl next to her started snoring softly. Chuckling when fifteen minutes were almost up, she snuggled up to her friends body spooning her. Marinette shuffled too and settled comfortably against her warm body. Alya wrapped an arm around her thinking how much like a kid this girl was. She then squeezed her till she agreed to get up. Mari stumbled to the bathroom and Alya went downstairs to fetch her breakfast for her.

A while later as the girls sat on bed eating buttered toast and egg bulls eye sunny side up, Alya mentioned Adrien. "So you're not interested in him anymore?"  
Marinette frowned, "Adrien? I told you yesterday Alya. He's not the type of guy I want. I know rich kids like him that like to sleep around and not look at a girl again after he gets them in bed."  
"Oh, come on! You know Adrien is not like that!"  
"He was different when we were in school, but things have changed now."  
"You didn't even talk to him for so long till the party."  
"You don't have to. I have heard lots of girls gossiping about him. And I only went to that party to see you and Nino, not for Adrien."  
"What sort of gossip?"  
"Oh I'm sure you've heard of it before. The girls he's been with."  
"But he hasn't really been dating anyone!"  
"And how does that make it better?"

They silently looked at each other and Alya spoke first, "... You used to really like him before though, right?"  
"Don't remind me of that. I liked the old him. Now he's nothing more than a friend."  
"... Do you still like him?"  
"It's a little repulsive remembering everything I've heard about him when I look at him. I wish he would go back to the way I remembered him to be. Now.. Now he's just difficult to trust."  
"Nino trusts him. I do too. He's not as bad as you think him to be, Mari." Alya got up to take the plates downstairs again, "You can start packing. I can see you didn't think of doing that last night when you couldn't sleep."  
Mari smiled as she walked downstairs and went to the cupboard and pulled out her red handbag after making sure Tikki was safe inside it. Then she pulled out a duffel bag and emptied its contents which were a few small scraps of paper into the dustbin. Shuffling through her cupboard, she neatly pulled out a few clothes and undergarments and laid them out on the bed, ready to be packed into the duffel bag. Alya returned as she neatly stuffed everything inside the bag.

Mari asked, "Could you fetch me the body lotion, night cream and lip balm from the bedside table?"  
Alya nodding lifted a few bottles without even having to look at the labels and handed them over. Zipping the bag was her cue to lift her own bag from under the table and head back downstairs, "You got everything you need? Well, you can take my stuff otherwise."

Alya looked at her phone at the new message from the blonde haired guy they just spoke of and continued, "Adrien is there now. Nino would get there later after lunch."  
"What? Why are we going now?"  
"What do you mean why? We're going to walk there and then hopefully reach a bit before he does to give him a surprise."  
"You didn't bring your car?"  
"Nino would recognize my car. What sort of a surprise is that?" Alya grinned at Mari as a whine escaped her, "Aaah, why couldn't you just hide it somewhere else? Walking all the way, ugh!"

Alya grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. As they talked of other news, Mari forgot to whine and smiled as she eagerly joined her talkative friend in conversation. Alya had even attempted to deepen her voice as she mimicked the mayor in his recent speech for the inauguration of a library. Mari even tossed her head back to laugh which amused her and both the girls were chuckling as they reached Adrien's residence. Quickly getting to the main door, they saw Adrien stood holding it open since he had opened the gate for them when they pressed the buzzer.

He looked at them, "Such timing! I had just finished my lunch. Nino might be here soon. Come on, I'll show you to the room." He took the bags from the girls and led the way inside to the guest room. "I hope both of you have no problem sleeping together? I do have another room too, but it's not quite cleaned up yet. I was thinking I'll get Nino to share my room with me since we're both too lazy to clean the other one up." He smiled at them sheepishly. When the girls both nodded in agreement, he offered to show them around the rest of the house and led them to his room, the washrooms, the kitchen and back to the living room when the buzzer buzzed again.

"Looks like he's here. What do we do?"  
Alya brightened up, "Send him to your room to put his stuff down Adrien, I'll ambush him there. Marinette can hide somewhere else till he gets there and we'll surprise him again when he comes down."  
Adrien and Marinette shared a look and smiled at each other thinking of their friend's obvious excitement and imagined the look on Nino's face when he saw her. They nodded back at Alya and the girls ran up and Adrien walked to the door and pressed a button to let him in.

Adrien opened the door once Nino came closer and clapped his back, "You're here, bro!"  
Nino smiled back, "I'm not letting ma homme get bored on his own. Of course I'm here!"  
"Cool. Put your bag down in my room and get back down. There's a show on TV I was watching."  
"Hahaha, alright." He slowly walked to Adrien's room after the blonde headed back to the living room.

Nino opened the door and walked to the bed, shrugging his backpack off his shoulders. He didn't hear the door close softly but he heard the sound of the lock falling in place. He spun around but was tackled to the bed, knocked out of breath.  
His shoulders were pinned down and he recognized the body over his to be Alya's. "Alya!?"  
She smirked and looked down at him growling, "Surprised, Nino?"  
He reached out for her waist, "Alya! Haha, you bet I am! What are you doing here?"  
She pressed her body closer as he wrapped his arms tighter around her, "Adrien invited me. What does it look like I'm doing?". She lifted her shirt off and tossed it on the floor and bent down to kiss his neck.

Nino felt his dick stiffen and rub against her body, "If you're trying to seduce me, it's working."  
She licked her lips and grabbed him where it poked against her belly, "Oh, I know it's working." She ran her hands over the bulge it made on his pants. He pulled her closer and kissed her lips softly moaning into her mouth as she tenderly felt his genitalia fight against the material of his pants that kept it restrained. He moved his hands to her breasts and massaged them as she fell deeper into the kiss with her moans opening her mouth further giving his tongue more access. He let his tongue free inside hers roaming around her mouth and playing with hers. She put her hands up in his hair and kissed him back.

His dick hardened more between her legs missing her hands already. He moved his hands up her thigh under her skirt and grabbing her ass, he pulled her body closer to his. Her lips shifted out of reach as her breast landed closer to his face. He kissed her mounds which were half hidden by her bra and squeezed her ass. Her breath quickened on his ear and the tug on his hair tightened momentarily.

He flipped her over on her back and climbed over her pulling her panties out and tossing them down with her shirt. He leaned in closer to her, letting his dick settle between her legs again a few inches below where the fabric of her panties would have been in an attempt to tease her. He kissed her shoulders and bit on her bra straps slowly pulling them down and slid his hands below her to undo the hook. With a kiss on her neck, he moved away and pulled her bra off with a swift motion.

Looking back down at her flushed face, parted lips breathing loudly and the greedy look in her eyes begging for more, he felt the teasing had worked. She grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss. He broke free and shifted back to get a good look at her. Her naked breasts moving with every breath, her curly hair spread over the pillow, her angry look that was ready to devour him. He couldn't keep himself away from her. He lifted his shirt and tugged off his pants and boxers, tossing them aside too. He kissed her lips and slowly made his way down kissing her jaw, her neck, her breasts again. She moaned which only encouraged him to kiss and suck on her breasts more.

She pulled him apart and looked him dead in the eye saying, "Fuck me, babe. Fuck me good." Nino gulped when she bit her lip and jumped out to fumble with his clothes looking for a condom. It only took him a moment to fetch it but when he looked back at her she had taken her skirt off too and spread her legs invitingly towards him trying to pull him back with her feet.  
"Ohhh Alya, you look delicious baby." He tore the packet and unrolled the object slowly over his hard dick, holding the eye contact with his vixen lying naked on the bed before him. She shifted closer and grabbed his stiffness rubbing it and he shut his eyes momentarily. He reopened them, now full of desire and pushing her down again, he pressed his body against hers, slowly entering her.

Alya's face scrunched up until he was completely inside her and slowly relaxed as he eased his way in and out of her. She didn't notice her moans as he kissed her neck and grabbed her hair and breast again. He soon settled into a rhythm but she found herself wanting more and she moaned trying to coax him into going at her harder with more passion. He looked at her and bit his lip and slowed to a stop. Wincing he pulled out and lay down next to her, "Oh god, that was good. How are you, babe?"

She pulled the condom out of him and pounced on his lips muttering against them, "I wasn't done yet." He smirked at her and moved his hand between her legs. He dipped a finger into her wetness and wiggled it around. She released his lips and leaned back into the pillow with her mouth open. He spread her legs and got up to sit between them. He thrusted his finger deeper inside her before letting another one enter. Then pulling them out, he heard her groan almost reluctantly until his tongue touched her. She gasped and her hands flew to his hair and her legs wrapped around his neck. He flicked his toungue around playing with her entrance as she moaned pushing his face in deeper. He wrapped his lips around her and sucked her area feeling her warm juices flow into his mouth. In a few moments, he had her panting until her body finally relaxed after her orgasm and he lay in bed panting with her.

She smiled at him and held his hand, "There's another surprise for you."  
He snuggled with her, "Nothing can beat this one, Alya. You know that."  
She smiled warmly and kissed him again, "It won't, but maybe I'll wait till you have the energy to be surprised again."  
He laughed and kissed her back, "I love you."  
She mumbled her reply into the kiss, "I know."


	6. Unpredictable Behavior

Adrien sat at the chair that gave him a good view of the stairs in front. He casually picked up a magazine and flipped through it. Marinette silently walked down and he stopped, meeting her eyes for a moment. She walked to him and took a seat on the sofa right next to him, "Alya just shut the door so he won't see me head downstairs."  
He laughed a little, "Does it really have to be that much of a surprise? You don't think she's overdoing it?"  
She shrugged her shoulders, "She stops me from overdoing things. I like to think she knows what she's doing."  
"But you both could have surprised him in the same time right? Would he really be surprised to see you once he knows Alya'a here?"  
She took out a rubberband from her pocket and pulled her hair back, trying to smooth it out into a ponytail, "With Alya, it's often easier to play along."  
He watched her hair as her fingers ran through it, like a white hand feeling a smooth dark fabric. Behind where her hand held it in place, it fell down like a black waterfall behind her shoulders. He watched her twist the rubberband around it a few times and snapped out of it when she suddenly turned behind to look at the stairs. His eyes followed hers but there was nothing. Why were his eyes constantly drawn to her? He felt happy with how familiar it felt to look at her, but all this staring would be rude.

She turned back to look at him and frowned, "Hmm, I was expecting them to come down sooner."  
He looked at her lips somewhat annoyed by the shape it made when it frowned and then realizing he was focusing too much on her, he looked back at the empty staircase. "Well, maybe he wanted to use the toilet or something?"  
"Hmm, maybe." She picked up another magazine and went through it slowly.  
He went back to his magazine.

He noticed her look at the stairs two more times in the next two minutes and suggested, "Do you want to go check on them or something?"  
She stuck her tongue out a little realizing he caught her shifted focus, "Yeah, alright."  
They put the magazines back and got up, walking towards the stairs quietly. Marinette tiptoed in front of him to his amusement. Smiling, he followed her silently.

They saw the closed door. They inched closer to it. Adrien's smile stretched wider. He felt like a little kid. He hadn't really crept up on someone in a long time. When he did it as Chat Noir, it somehow felt different and dangerous. She froze when they heard a moan and Adrien nearly bumped into her.  
The moans continued getting louder and louder with more urgency accompanied by other weird thumps and muffles and Marinette spun around to face him, her eyes wide and face red. His eyes widened too when the meaning behind the sounds and Marinette's reaction to them struck him. Nino's totally getting at it, he thought. And that too when he had just entered the house a few minutes ago! Woohoo!

Marinette held his arms and tried to push him back, suggesting they head back down. "Wait, what-", she quickly put her finger on her lips and motioned to the way back. He frowned a little but retreated with her following him. Alya and Nino were in his room! They were doing it in his room! He hoped they didn't make a mess of things. He hoped they weren't into kinky things and didn't start playing around with his otherwise ordinary items. He didn't want to find his blankets wet when he went there to sleep. Or if he decided to wear his tie the next day only to find out there was a weird stain on it.  
And oh wait, wasn't Plagg in that room?

He chuckled a bit imaging the annoyed black kwami trapped behind some books having to see two of his friends getting closer than he would be comfortable with. Plagg didn't seem to appreciate physical closeness for a cat like kwami.

"Looks like that was not why Alya shut the door."  
He looked at her trying to act normal but her expression still looked uncomfortable. "Well, you were right. It sounds like she totally knew what she was doing", he laughed a little trying to ease the tension with a joke.  
She smiled a little, "I feel so stupid wanting to go check up on them."  
He winked at her, "Hey, I bet a lot a people get off from just watching. Nothing wrong if you're into that kind of stuff."  
She looked at him with her mouth open, "I'm not INTO that kind of stuff!"  
"What are you into then, kitten?" He leaned in and wiggled his eyebrow as she slapped his arm away. "No way! Eww, gross!"  
He raised an eyebrow, "What is?" Was he making her more uncomfortable talking about it?  
"How do people do this?" she said gesturing towards the room.  
"Your boyfriend might explain that better with a demonstration"  
She mumbled something inaudible. He waited a while to see if she would explain the inconsistency he figured out as Chat. Careful not to reveal his other identity, he chose his next few words.  
"Are you a virgin, Mari?"

He felt a little chuckle as the words bounced around his tongue. Hehe, virgin Mary. But all signs of their playful bantering vanished from her face.  
Her voice was low and full of anger when she spoke, "What's it to you?"

Confused, he laughed nervously. Nervously? He scoffed, "Some boyfriend you have. Doesn't let his girl release herself."  
"I don't need a release. I am a virgin by choice and if I'm not commenting on your choices, you shouldn't comment on mine."  
He was starting to get annoyed too. Why was she barking at him? She was just being too defensive. His choices? What the hell is she talking about? "Good for you. I was just trying to crack a joke."  
"By teasing a woman about her virginity?"  
"I get it, not funny." He growled back before trying to soften his stance and expression. He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Marinette." and he walked back to his chair.

She sat down on the sofa again after a few minutes, "Okay, maybe I was being too harsh. I'm sorry too."  
He smiled back meekly. This was one unpredictable girl. Just trying to talk to her was trouble but he couldn't help forgiving her. Why did he have a soft spot for her? Because she was kind when they were friends in school? He remembered how at ease he felt with her a few moments ago. How peaceful he was when she was tying her hair back up. Why was his body so relaxed around her?  
His heart felt stiff from the recent scare by her moody temperament but he smiled gently, "It's a truce."

She initiated the conversation before the silence set in, "So, any plans? What's for dinner?"  
"Well, we could go out to eat. I was thinking we'd be talking till then and maybe play some games after dinner?"  
"That sounds nice."  
"Yeah, I didn't know those two had other plans." He rolled his eyes and smirked. She laughed, probably obligatory, he thought.

They both looked at the stairs as the two in question descended. Adrien teased, "There he is! I didn't expect it would take too long to put his bags down from the size of his luggage."  
Nino smiled at Alya, "Yeah, it was like my backpack refused to leave me." Then looking at Marinette, he walked over and held her outstretched hand, "You must be the other surprise. I wasn't expecting this lonely excuse of a man to call girls over for company too."  
Adrien put a hand over his heart, "Ah mon frere, you wound me. I'm the perfect example of a man."  
Alya slid her arm through Nino's other arm, "And yet, you have trouble getting a girl."  
Adrien sighed in jest, "Ah yes, these ladies do not recognize perfection when they see it." Alya laughed as she took a seat pulling her boyfriend down too.

Nino nodded kissing her cheek, "Oh Adrien, when the ladies themselves are perfect, what would they need it from you?"  
Alya blushed and Adrien winked at the two of them, "I see your lady has managed her perfect surprise."  
Nino added, "If only she would let me sleep. She drained all my energy, this one!"  
She replied, "Oh please, and keep our friends waiting?"  
Marinette laughed, "But you did keep us waiting anyways. Poor Nino, so famished!"  
Adrien suggested, "Let's just order in then? And we'll have some wine and games?"  
Everyone cheerfully consented and Adrien left to make a phone call while they continued talking. He placed his order and went to the kitchen for the wine and glasses. He carefully filled everyone's glasses and sat down again while they decided what to play.

Nino suggested a drinking game so they began 'Never have I ever' and never did he ever expect Marinette to be such a wild drinker. He suspected Alya might have been targetting her however to make her drink.  
Never have I ever sent a gift without a nametag?  
Never have I ever stuck posters on my wall?  
Never have I ever accidentally called my crush?

Thank goodness, he and Nino were bringing normal questions into play. They took a break when dinner arrived and resumed after they finished eating their shares.  
Never have I ever been ambushed by fans. Adrien took a sip and Marinette was drinking too? When did Marinette have that kind of fans? Was her design work already getting famous?  
Never have I ever snuck out of home. Everyone except Nino drank their drinks.  
Never have I ever stalked someone's online profile. Alya retorted it was part of her work and took a sip. Marinette also took a sip. She had emptied her cup thrice already before everyone else had finished their first. Adrien and Nino looked at her doubtfully. She was stone drunk. Maybe they should stop or change the game.

They didn't have to worry beyond that much since the black haired girl fell asleep on the spot soon after and Nino snuggled on Alya's lap. Alya set her glass back on the table and called it a wrap. Adrien picked up the bottle and glasses and returned them to the kitchen.  
He came back looking at his friends all reluctant to move and went upstairs returning with a pillow and blanket for Marinette. Alya then convinced Nino to get back to the room instead of lying on the floor. She set Marinette on the sofa comfortably and told Adrien she'd be fine and that he could go back to his room and led Nino to the room the girls left their stuff in.

Adrien hesitated. Was it really alright to leave her here alone? He slowly walked back to his own room and lay down. Somehow there was a lot of information he couldn't quite process. Marinette confused him. She kept sending mixed signals and he no longer had any idea how to act around her. They were just friends right? Why was it so complicated? Maybe he got off the wrong foot. He decided the best approach would be to start from scratch, without any assumptions or biases. And how could she drink so much? Enough to pass out on his sofa. She'd most likely wake up the next day with a hangover. He reconsidered, maybe avoiding a direct conversation with her tomorrow would be best.

He heard a soft thump and froze. Hm? Was that from the next room or downstairs? Either Mari knocked something over or Nino and Alya were at it again. He got up anyways to verify his suspicions. He stood in the hallway outside the door for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Silence. He slowly descended the stairs and watched.

Then he saw her, on her hands and knees, slowly crawling on the floor. What in the world was she doing?

 **A/N: Hi! Did the sudden fight confuse everyone? Haha!**  
 **A special thanks to the steady reviewers, Synsoflove, with the encouraging words and the guest reviewer that leaves long contemplative reviews. This one was longer than I was expecting and it made me happy that you were thinking about it. You guys made my day and it is thanks to you that this next update came so soon. Special requests will be brought in soon, so please review with something you want to see. Once again, please review to share the love.**


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